As discussed in an earlier post (here), former Georgia School Superintendent and 2002 gubernatorial candidate Linda Schrenko was charged in a federal indictment with corruption charges involving the misappropriation of over $600,000 in federal education funds that were used for her campaign and also for cosmetic surgery. Her top deputy entered a plea agreement on Jan. 10 (see post here), and his cooperation may have led to new charges. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta) upped the ante on Feb. 8 when the grand jury issued a superseding indictment alleging an additional 20 counts of money laundering, which could substantially affect the sentence if she is convicted of those charges. Among the methods alleged by the government to disguise the source and use of the funds were the issuance of 104 blank checks for $590 each that were to be used for "focus groups" related to the campaign. An article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes the new allegations against Schrenko and her codefendants. (ph)